Shadow's Oath

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Chapter 100: The Night of Chaos (2)

‘Isn't she getting sleepy?’

Charlon was anxious.

“Miss, don’t think about anything and just listen to Young Master Rusef.”

Odel had been giving the same sermon for an hour.

It was always the same pattern.

First, she would start with compliments.

“You are precious, Miss.”

Then, she would give an example to match the compliment.

“The stars in the sky can shine because there is nothing around them—only darkness. Do stars shine in the bright daylight? No, they do not. It is the same for women. There should be no noise around them. They must shine alone.”

After that, she would add her personal experience.

“When I was young, many men followed me around. I was too kind to push them away. I believed in the kindness and consideration they showed on the surface. But I was wrong. When I was seventeen, I met a certain man….”

After sharing her personal experience, she would return to the beginning again.

‘You are precious, Miss.’

Then another example, then another personal story… When she ran out of her own experiences, she started borrowing others'.

She even went as far as bringing up the ancestors of the Vormont family.

At that point, Charlon clutched her head.

“I feel a little dizzy….”

At first, she considered holding her waist instead.

But if she mentioned real pain, Odel would bring out that disgusting medicine made from centipedes and ropes that she had barely managed to drink earlier.

She would also start crying out for unnecessary security reinforcements.

Worse, she might even storm into Rusef’s meeting, dramatically declaring, “Miss is dying!”

The best thing to say in this situation was simple exhaustion.

“Can I sleep early?”

“Of course, of course! But I can’t leave you alone, so I’ll sleep here with you. That’s okay, right?”

Odel was already spreading out bedding on the floor.

That was exactly what Charlon had intended.

“Are you going to sleep in your coat? That sounds uncomfortable. Why not take it off and use a blanket instead?”

“You’re right. Oh my, how rare for you to show me such kindness, Miss!”

Odel smiled as she removed her cloak, which included a hood, and neatly folded it beside her.

Charlon made one more suggestion.

“Since I’m going to sleep, I’d prefer if the guards didn’t look inside the tent. And they should stay silent.”

“Do you even need to ask? Guards!”

Odel shouted as if the guards had committed some terrible mistake.

“Yes, what is it?”

“From now on, any man who so much as peeks his head into this tent will lose it.”

The guard responded with a slight chuckle.

“Understood.”

It was an obvious command on any normal day.

But tonight, it was absolutely necessary.

“Not a single sound either! The young lady is sensitive! Even a bug making a noise will get its head chopped off.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Odel proudly lay down, satisfied with her orders.

Charlon personally blew out the two candles beside her bed and lay down.

Then, she pretended to sleep.

Once Odel confirmed that Charlon was asleep, she, too, closed her eyes.

And to Charlon’s surprise, Odel fell asleep remarkably fast.

Usually, she would toss and turn for over half an hour… Was it finally the effect of the medicine kicking in?

Or had she been this exhausted all along, forcing herself to stay awake out of duty?

Even when Charlon accidentally nudged her while getting up, Odel didn’t stir.

Charlon silently put on Odel’s coat.

With the hood up and her head lowered, it was perfect.

She and Odel were similar in height and build.

Mimicking Odel’s slightly unsteady walk, Charlon slipped out of the tent, remembering to grab a lantern.

Even though the camp was well-lit with torches, walking through the darkness would still be difficult.

A knight stood guard outside the tent.

Charlon hoped he wouldn’t speak to her and tried to slip past him.

But he let out a small cough and called out.

“Um….”

Charlon flinched and stopped.

The knight asked,

“Is the young lady sleeping well?”

Charlon carefully hid her hands inside her sleeves, making sure no skin was visible.

She couldn’t mimic Odel’s complexion, so she had to conceal as much as possible.

“Shh!”

“Oh, I apologize.”

The guard quickly lowered his voice and stepped back.

Charlon continued her unsteady gait across the camp.

To Geron, the southern army's camp might have seemed like one single unit, but in reality, the Triton and Born camps were distinctly separated.

The soldiers from both sides made a deliberate effort not to cross the invisible boundary unless absolutely necessary.

Charlon felt her breath tremble as she stepped over that line.

‘I have to see Jeje at least once. I can’t leave like this.’

But she couldn’t just walk to Elum Village in the middle of the night.

Even under the cover of darkness, there was no way she could travel that far with her unhealed body, climb the hilly terrain, and avoid being seen the entire way.

Even if she made it, she had no idea where Jeje was being held.

She had to bring him here instead.

‘I’ll ask Ram one more time. He said there was no way, but if we talk it through together, we might find something.’

This was her only chance—while Rusef was still in his meeting and Odel was fast asleep.

‘We can meet somewhere between Elum Village and the camp. In a place like that, he wouldn’t be able to bring a lantern, so I wouldn’t see his face… but just hearing his voice would be enough.’

If she could hear his voice even once, maybe she could put this lingering regret to rest.

Around her, Triton soldiers’ voices rang out.

Campfires flickered everywhere, making it impossible for her to hide in the darkness.

‘If someone stops me and asks who I am, what excuse should I give?’

Charlon walked with a limp, head bowed, worrying.

But the thing he feared didn’t happen.

It wouldn’t have been strange to hear, Who’s there?

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Why is someone from Born here?

But there was nothing.

If they were inside Born’s territory, that wouldn’t be unusual.

The Born soldiers who knew Odel wouldn’t bother blocking her way.

But even the Triton soldiers didn’t stop the suspicious-looking old woman in a hood, wandering around at night.

That was something Charlon hadn’t planned, but the fact that she was wearing Odel’s cloak had worked to her advantage.

Odel had always wandered across the camp’s central boundaries without concern.

Even when she had no particular reason, she would just walk around.

Not just in this camp but even in the previous main encampment.

It was almost as if she wanted someone to question her.

She even wandered near the king’s tent.

If anyone did question her, she would unleash a stream of curses.

King Gallant, growing tired of the trouble, had once given an order: Just let the old woman wander around.

Odel hadn’t minded at all.

She had even boasted that a proud descendant of Vormont had no reason to fear Triton’s king, as if she were Vormont’s bloodline herself.

Charlon hoped the soldiers would continue to dislike Odel as she walked toward Ram’s tent.

It was positioned at the edge of the camp.

Fortunately, no one was around.

‘Is Ram inside right now? I hope so…’

* * *

Damion struggled to decide how to propose until the very last moment.

At first, he used a passage from an ancient text.

It felt forced.

Then, he tried borrowing a line from a bard’s song.

It felt insincere.

He tried incorporating all sorts of poetic praises about Charlon’s beauty into his proposal.

It felt embarrassing.

No words seemed right.

The real problem was that his heart wasn’t in it.

Someone they knew had died earlier today.

Was it right to force a proposal on such a day?

Charlon was also injured.

Was it proper to propose to someone in pain?

Tomorrow, he would say his final farewell to Jedrick.

He might find some excuse to see him one last time, but Charlon might not get that chance.

In such a situation, was it really okay to propose?

Lying in bed, trying to come up with the right words, Damion kept circling back to the same fundamental doubt—Should I even do this?

‘Being alone just makes me overthink. Should I not have sent Ram away?’

He sat up, thinking about calling Ram back to talk it over.

‘Ram should be in his tent now, right? I should go see him.’

But just as he was about to leave, he changed his mind.

He had just told Ram to get some rest—calling him back now would be too selfish.

Besides, hadn’t he been the one to insist on being alone?

‘Maybe I shouldn’t do it after all… No, tonight is my only chance.’

Charlon had been exhausted these past two days.

If he waited too long, she might fall asleep.

Damion hurried toward Charlon’s tent before it was too late.

* * *

Jedrick remained hidden under his blanket, straining to listen.

He couldn’t see anything, so every little noise made him extra alert.

He had the urge to lift the bottom of the tent and peek outside, but he resisted.

If he did, there was a slim but real chance he could accidentally make eye contact with a passing soldier.

Now and then, he could hear the footsteps of soldiers walking nearby.

Whenever that happened, his whole body tensed, his shoulders hunched.

The cold ground beneath him helped cool the fever that had burned inside him earlier.

He regretted coming here.

He shouldn’t have done this.

What would happen if a patrol caught him here?

He had prepared dozens of excuses, but even he knew they were flimsy lies that would fall apart instantly.

His best option would be to take advantage of the darkness and run.

He could climb back up the hill and sneak back into the confinement chamber before anyone noticed he was gone—wake up Jebit.

Jebit, why are you lying here unconscious?

What? Jeje, you knocked me out!

No, you just passed out.

Really? I guess I was feeling dizzy from not eating properly…

Maybe Jebit would just go along with it.

‘Stop thinking.’

Jedrick forced himself to shut down all the excuses running through his mind.

‘If I get caught, that’s the end. No excuses. If I die here, at least the village will be safe. I came here ready to risk my life. Don’t cheapen it with worthless lies.’

Regret lasted only a moment before longing filled his heart again.

Even if he could go back to the beginning, he knew he would still make the same choices.

Then, he heard footsteps again.

These were different from before.

They were slower, more cautious.

Why would anyone move carefully within their own camp?

The footsteps approached Jedrick’s tent, accompanied by the glow of a lantern.

The silhouette of a person appeared against the thin tent fabric.

They stopped in front of Ram’s tent and stood still for a long time.

It wasn’t Ram.

He wouldn’t be carrying a light.

The figure neither entered the tent nor walked away.

Jedrick’s heart pounded with tension.

Then, a small voice drifted into the tent.

"Ram?"

It was Charlon’s voice.

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